ALBUM REVIEW

Shootenanny

Eels

Release Date: 06.03.03
Record label: Dreamworks
Genre(s): Rock

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Light on the Dark
by: clint poole

Shootenanny is the Eels latest display of the unique skill lead singer Mark Oliver Everett (aka “E”) has mastered: applying lighthearted musical sounds to dark subjects. While the tone and sound of the album’s tracks playfully ring like pop-alt songs, the lyrics continue E’s exploration of the desperate, frustrated, and emotionally difficult.

Shootenanny provides a compilation of tightly knit, simple, short tracks that move along quickly without disruption. While the lyrics examine the darker sides of the human condition, the musical backdrops, such as the fast guitars on “Saturday Morning” and the lighthearted tone of “Love of the Loveless”, prevent us from taking the subjects too seriously.

Providing levity to desperate situations was seemingly E’s intention with Shootenanny. Never has such detail been applied to ensuring the dichotomy of pleasant tunes and unpleasant subjects dancing so seamlessly together. Somehow, E makes it all work. 23-Jun-2003 4:04 PM